Iran: Amnesty International Condemns Crackdown on Protests in Iran

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Amnesty International Press ReleaseMonday, February 14, 2011

Amnesty International Condemns Crackdown on Protests in Iran

Contact: AIUSA media relations office, 202-509-8194

(Washington, DC) Amnesty International has condemned the Iranian authorities for breaking up an apparently peaceful march held in Tehran in support of Egyptian and Tunisian protests. Protests were also reportedly held in other cities across Iran, including Esfahan, Shiraz and Kermanshah.

Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi were placed under house arrest by the authorities ahead of the protests on Monday.

“Iranians have a right to gather to peacefully express their support for the people of Egypt and Tunisia," said Hassiba Hadj-Sahraoui, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa deputy director. "While the authorities have a responsibility to maintain public order, this should be no excuse to ban and disperse protests by those who choose to exercise that right. This crackdown is the latest in a series of moves by the authorities aimed at blocking the work of activists and stifling dissent.”

This march comes amid a wave of pre-emptive arrests of political and other activists over the past several days.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

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